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Monday, 14 October 2013

The coronation feast of James II and Queen Mary

One of the many printed books contained in the Cathedral library is
a lavishly illustrated account of the coronation of James II and Queen Mary, which took place on Tuesday 23rd
April, 1685. This book was commissioned to commemorate James II's coronation and was given to his Majesty as a gift upon his visit to Worcester in 1687. It is a very detailed account of the preparations for the occasion;
a description of the clothing, robes, crowns and sceptres, personnel, seating
arrangements and menus for the day. As this is a very precise (and lengthy) account of the
ceremony, I have chosen to discuss the coronation feast and menu, which visitors to the library often express interest in.

Below is an exquisite engraving depicting the feast in Westminster Hall, in which you can see the Lords and Ladies tucking into an array of foods, as well as the servers located at the sides of the halls.

James II's coronation feast (1685). Photograph reproduced by the permission of the Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral (U.K.).

Their Majesties table alone is described as containing "99 dishes of the most excellent and choicest of all sorts of cold meats,
both flesh and fish, excellently well dressed and ordered all manner of ways, [...] brought up by the gentlemen who served at their majesties cupboards." The engraving certainly conveys the author's point that there was "little vacancy between the dishes, which
were set upon stands of several heights, and all so equally mixed, that it made
an extraordinary good appearance”. At feasts or banquets today, a table is rarely as fully laden with dishes as we see here. This coronation feast makes Christmas dinner look like a light snack!Another engraving, pictured below, depicts the table layout of the 145 dishes served at the table of King James and Queen Mary. The King's table was located at the upper end of Westminster Hall.You can see that each dish has a small number on it. Below is a list of the dishes to which each number corresponds. Besides these 145 dishes, there were 30 more served up to their Majesties table at the second course, making 175 dishes in all…!!!

We'd love it if you could pick your favourite item and tell us which dish, if you could, you would order as part of your coronation dinner.﻿﻿﻿﻿

Table of dishes corresponding with numbers below. Photograph reproduced by the permission of the Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral (U.K.)

﻿﻿﻿﻿

The dishes served at the table of King James and Queen Mary:

1.Pistacio cream in glasses.

2.Anchoviz (anchovies)

3.Custards )

4.Collar Veal
) Cold

5.Lamb – stones

6.Cocks-combs )

7.Marrow patie ) Hot

8.Jelly )

9.Sallet ) Cold

10.Stags tongues.

11.Sweet-breads.

12.Patty pidgeon.

13.Petty-toes.

14.Cray Fish.

15.Blumange
)

16.Bolonia Sausages
) Cold

17.Collops and Eggs.

18.Frigase Chick )

19.Rabbets Ragou )
Hot

20.Oysters pickled )

21.Portugal
Eggs )
Cold

22Dutch Beef )

23.Andolioes.

24.Mushrooms )

25.Veal
) Hot

26.Hogs tongues )

27.Cheese cakes
) Cold

28.Ciprus Birds.

29.Tansy.

30.Asparagus )

31.A Pudding ) Hot

32.Ragou of Oysters )

33.Scallops
) Cold

34.Salamagundy.

35.Three dozen glasses of lemon Jelly.

36.Five Neats Tongues
(Cold).

37.Four dozen wild Pidgeons,12 larded, (Hot).

38.A whole Salmon
(Cold).

39.Eight Pheasants,3 larded
(Cold).

40.Nine small Pidgeon Pies
(Cold).

41.Twenty Four fat Chickens,6 larded (Hot).

42.Twelve Crabs
(Cold).

43.Twenty Four Partridges,6 larded, (Hot).

44.A dish of tarts.

45.Soles marinetted, (Cold).

46.Twenty Four Tame Pidgeons,6 larded, (Hot)

47.Four Fawns,2 larded, (Hot).

48.Four Pullets La Dobe. )

49.Twelve Quails ) (Hot)

50.Four Partridges – Halved )

51.Ten Oyster Pies, (Hot)

52.Sallet.

53.Pease.

54.Four Dozen of Puddings,(Hot)

55.Artichokes.

56.Beef a La Royal, (Hot).

57.An Oglio, (Hot).

58.Pease.

59.A Batalia Pie

60.Artichokes.

61.Sallet.

62.Three Turkeys
a La Royal, (Hot).

63.Four Chicks
)

64.Bacon Gammon )
(Hot).

65.Spinage
)

66.Three Piggs (Hot)

67.Almond Puff.

68.Twelve Stump Pies, (Cold).

69.A square pyramide, rising from four large dishes on the
angles, and four lesser dishes on the
sides, containing the several fruits in season, and all manner of sweet-meats.

70.A whole Lamb, larded, (Hot).

71.Twelve Ruffs.

72.Four dozen Egg –Pies, (Cold).

73.A very large circular pyramide in the middle of the table,
rising from twelve dishes in the circumference, six of which were large, and
the others six less, containing the several fruits in season, and all manner of
sweet-meats.

74.Six Mullets, large souc’d.

75.Eight Godwits.

76.Eight Neats Tongues and Udders roasted, (Hot).

77.A square pyramide, rising from four large dishes on the
angles, and four lesser on the sides, containing the several fruits in season, and
all manner of sweet-meats.

78.Eighteen Minc’d Pies, (Cold).

79.Marrow Tofts.

80.Eight wild Ducks, marinated, (Hot).

81.Gooseberry Tarts
)

82.Lampreys
) (Cold).

83.Shrimps
)

84.Twenty Four Puffins, (Cold).

85.Smelts.

86.Trufles.

87Four Dozen of Petit-Paties, (Hot).

88.Morels.

89.Five Carps, (Cold).

90.Blewmange in shells, (Cold)

91.Mushrooms.

92.Four Dozen of Almond Puddings, (Hot).

93.Asparagus.

94.Eight Ortelans.

95.Lamb Sallet, (Cold).

96.Five Partridge Pies
)

97.Smelts marinated
) (Cold)

98.Turt.de Moil
)

99.Eighteen Turkey Chicks, six larded, (Hot).

100.Twelve Lobsters, (Cold).

101.Nine Pullets, for larded, (Hot).

102.Bacon,two Gammons, (Cold).

103.Twelve Leverets, four larded, (Hot).

104,Sturgeon, (Cold).

105.Twenty Four Ducklings, six larded, (Hot).

106.Collar’d Beef, (Cold).

107.Eight Capons, three larded, (Hot).

108.Five Pullet Pies, (Cold).

109.Eight Geese, three larded, (Hot).

110.Three souc’d Pigs, (Cold).

111.Three Dozen glasses of Jelly.

112.Botargo
)

113.Gerkins
) (Cold)

114.Souc’d Trout )

115.Sheeps Tongues.
)

116.Skirrets ) (Hot)

117.Cabbadge Pudding
)

118.Eight Teals Marin
)

119.French Beans
) (Cold).

120.Leveret Pie
)

121.Lemon Sallet
)

122.Smelts Pickled
) (Cold).

123.Periwinkles
)

124.Chicks marl’d
)

125.Cavear
) (Cold)

126.Olives
)

127.Prawns
)

128.Samphire
) (Cold)

129.Trotter Pie
)

130.Taffata Tarts
)

131.Razor Fish
) (Cold)

132.Broom Buds )

133.Collar’d Pigs.

134.Parmazan )

135.Capers
) (Cold).

136.Spinage Tart.

137.Whitings marinated
)

138.Cockles ) (Cold).

139.Pickled Mushrooms
)

140.Prawns ) (Cold).

141.Mangoes
)

142.Bacon Pie
)

143.Cardoons
) (Cold)

144.Souc’d Tench )

145.Three Dozen Glasses of Blumange, (Cold).

As you can see, many of the items are familiar to us to-day,
although some, if not many, have gone out of fashion. Others are not so
recognizable. All in all this was not a table for the faint hearted….!!!

Clarification of a number of the menu items may well be
required. I hope that the following will help with this; if some are wrong then
please feel free to advise the correct explanation.

There is also a record, of the dishes served at the other
tables. They do differ in some cases to that of their Majesties, but in general
they are a large number of common dishes.

Some spellings are different to what we are familiar with
now, and these I have left in their traditional form.

The more, possibly obscure items, I have attempted to
translate;

Item 4: Collar Veal – Meat that is rolled up and tied with
string, also to cut up and press into a roll.

Item 5: Lambs-stones
(Testicles)

Item 6: Cocks-combs -
the red fleshy crest on the head of the domestic fowl.

Item 7: Marrow Patie – (Bone Marrow pate.)

Item 9: Sallet – (Salad.)

Item 11: Sweet-breads – (the pancreas or thymus gland of an
animal – heart, stomach, belly, throat, gullet or neck, - looked upon as a
delicacy.)